


love you'll never walk away from

by a_mind_at_work (Madame_Marauder)



Series: this whole damn city [6]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Ahhhhhhhhhhh ive been gone for like a month im SO SORRY, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Family Reunions, Gen, Plotting Revolution, Putting teens in charge of things they shouldn't be in charge of, anyway we're finally getting the ball rolling for the revolution itself, caste system
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 11:01:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14471247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madame_Marauder/pseuds/a_mind_at_work
Summary: Of reunions, reassurances, resistance, and revolution.Or, Gil and Alexander are sent to find out more about a discovery made down on Purple.





	love you'll never walk away from

    Gil trails half a step behind him, silent, pointedly not criticizing as Alexander lays a hand on the doorframe and hesitates. He's grateful for that; he'd like to think he'd do the same if he ever had to follow his friend when the situation was reversed. But no, they're here, and that's shocking in and of itself. Two of Washington's' most trusted, being sent to see something together- it's enough to make Alexander worry about just what it is that's been stumbled across.

    He rakes in a breath and knocks, same way he had for eighteen years.

    One heartbeat. Two. And then Ned opens the door.

     “Hey, kiddo,” his brother says after a moment, and then they're clinging to each other like they haven't seen each other in half a decade, because they haven't. Alexander feels Gil start, but he shakes his head before the other can say anything.

      “Hey, Neddy,” he manages, and tightens his grip for half a second before they separate. Ned has a teasing spark in his eye, but he just smirks before waving them inside. “You mentioned Philip was a part of this mess?”

       A long-suffering sigh. “He and his sister  _ are _ this mess. Know how we always joked about breaking through the Wall? They did.”

      “Oh, shit,” Alexander replies lightly, then stops, focuses, follows through on that train of thought. “Oh.  _ Shit _ .”

      Ned gives him a stiff nod, shoulders jerking in a shrug that tries and fails to hide how utterly floored he is. “Yeah. And then they found out exactly what was  _ behind _ the Wall. And thus we have our mess.”

      “You've seen the holos,” Gil says from behind him. It's a statement, not a question, and Alexander spares a moment to consider that his friend is privy to more as Operator than he might realize.

      “That I have,” Ned agrees. “And there's a lot of old tech. Some of it's salvageable, some of it isn't, most we haven't tried with. I believe that Pip is with Angie trying to boot up an old datapad.”

     Alexander offers him a crooked grin. “Old as in Mama's or old as in obsolete?”

     His brother rolls his eyes. “Old as in not compatible with our current stuff, but it looks at least as advanced. Don't know exactly what year it was from or anything like that.”

     “Backwards compatibility would be too easy,” he mutters, and Ned smirks. 

     “Obviously. Anything we need to discuss before I call the kiddos in here, or are we good to go?”

     Gil shrugs when Alexander glances over to him, and he does the same. “Not officially. But, uh, anything important I need an update on?”

     Something in Ned’s eyes softens. “Nick is still himself, even if he has to stay in bed and can't really talk. He's also given me explicit orders to not let you visit him, because he's worried about being contagious. James is planning to marry that girlfriend of his. Maria is doing well and insisting that she definitely doesn't have a crush on the Pearl. Ann tends to dote on Angie, who is  _ definitely _ our brother's sister. And I'm fine.”

     “Sure you are,” Alexander replies, because that's about the only thing he can without getting choked up. “Not exhausted at all.” He's missed so much, missed his younger brother choosing a name and growing up, missed his sister finding her way, missed his father getting sick, missed  _ everything _ \- but had he not, they couldn't be standing here today. 

      Ned rolls his eyes and reaches out to ruffle his hair. “I sleep more than you ever did, little brother. Don't lecture me about not resting. You ran off nothing but caf for a week and a half.”

      Alexander gives him a halfhearted glare, but one, Ned isn't exactly wrong; two, it's the distraction needed to ignore the crashing waves of  _ you abandoned them, you abandoned them, you abandoned them;  _ and three, he's reaffirmed them as brothers after he's been away for five years. So.

      “Pip! Angie!” Ned calls over his shoulder. It's not more than thirty seconds before a couple of teenagers come skidding into the room, trying not to look like they've been waiting to be called and failing miserably in that attempt. 

      Philip is a mess of curls, wearing a shirt that Alexander vaguely remembers as having been his and a pair of James’s pants with the cuffs rolled up- he can tell by the hole in the knee. The girl with him- Angie, presumably- has her hair tied back and one of Maria’s old jackets around her waist, and again Alexander feels his chest ache at just how much he's been gone for.

      But Philip is wide-eyed and staring. “Alex?”

      “Hey, kiddo,” he manages. “Heard you found some shit.”

      His brother laughs, and they each stand there awkwardly until Angie pushes Philip forward and he finally pulls Alexander into a hug. And Alexander would be lying if he said his heart hadn't been in his throat until then, unspoken rules and usual nerves combined. But it's fine; they're fine.

      “We did find some shit, yeah,” Philip mutters into his shoulder. “Missed you.”

       “Missed you too,” Alexander agrees, and they're both pretending not to tear up. Ned and Maria both, he's been able to at least check on through the resistance, Nick as well. James and Ann he's not seen since he first left, but he's heard mention of them each being involved in minor things. But Philip, Philip he hasn't been able to talk to at all.

       There's a long moment, and then Philip gently pulls away. “Angie, this is my brother Alex. Alex, this is my sister Angie.”

       Alexander nods at her awkwardly, and she nods back. It's no more tense than any other introduction between people who share a claimed sibling, and he's grateful for that, at least.

       Gil shifts slightly, and Alexander can almost feel his palpable discomfort. “Right, introductions are probably a good idea. Ned, Philip, Angie, this is my friend Gil. Gil, these are my brothers and my brother's sister. Philip and Angie are the ones who apparently decided that they should climb through a hole in the Wall and go exploring.”

        “Pretty much,” Philip shrugs. “And we found a hell of a lot more than we were looking for.”

        Ned sighs. “You're just going to have to see for yourself, Alex. I didn't believe them until I saw it. It- it changes a lot.”

        And that's a worrying commentary from Ned of all people, but Alexander nods. “By all means, lead the way.”

 

       Philip leads them to an alley that ends against the Wall, and Angie shows them the precarious path up to the opening. Gil scowls the whole way up, and Alexander does his best not to laugh at him, because this is a Serious Mission. But, yeah, there's a few snickers.

       The room they clamber down into is familiar, and it only takes a moment to place it as the background of Mary Uppington’s final video. The bloodstains on the floor help with that count.

       Gil immediately makes a beeline for the books, and Alexander isn't far behind. “Holy shit. Medical, medical, psychology, medical, chemistry, chemistry, electricity, another psychology…” He trails off as he reaches a particularly thick volume. “Alex. History.”

       “Oh, fuck,” Alexander says eloquently. “From Before?”

       “Looks like it,” Gil replies. “I can see why all this got sealed off by the Reds. Precedents of revolutions give people ideas, after all.”

       Angie clears her throat and points over her shoulder. “Um. You haven't really seen anything yet. There's a hell of a lot more.”

       Alexander raises an eyebrow and sets the book down gingerly. “More books, or tech?”

       Philip takes a deep breath and waves them out into a larger hallway. “There's still a lot we haven't been able to get into. From what we've been able to explore, there's the surgical room, the sitting room, some offices, a tech storage room, and then a few that were completely trashed when we arrived. We figured that there wasn't time to destroy everything when the Reds made their raid, and they only went after stuff that would be practically useful if this place ever got opened again.”

       “Like medicine,” Angie adds dully. “Cabinets full that were smashed and crushed and ruined.”

        The three of them who have grown up on Purple, the three who  _ understand,  _ are all silent for a moment. There's something deep and angry snapping in Alexander’s veins, bitter and cold with rage. “Show me,” he bites out, fighting down his anger for Gil if nothing else. Philip is stiff and crossing his arms, Angie clenching her jaw and squaring her shoulders. They understand; Gil doesn't.

        Angie waves them to a door just down the hall. “Here. There's some stuff that's partially intact, but it's all either at least a century out of date or ripped out of the packaging.”

        Sure enough, there's hundreds of tiny pills dumped and scattered across the floor, boxes emptied and bottles tipped over. “Fucking hell.”

       Gil steps forward gingerly and crouches to pick up one of the boxes. “I don't understand. It wasn't even the more expensive stuff, just flu medicine.”

        “ _ Just _ flu medicine,” Philip parrots mockingly. “Yeah, well, if we'd had some  _ just flu medicine  _ then I'd have my blood-parents, Alex would have his mother, and Angie would have her siblings. So.”

       Alexander cuts in before the situation can escalate any further. “Right. How much of the other stuff in here has been ruined?”

      “Several broken monitors and screens, those were smashed. It looks like there might have been a few fires set. Again, we can't get some of the doors open, and Ned hasn't been able to come help us with those yet,” Angie rattles off. Philip glares, but bites his tongue.

      He sighs. “Okay. Gil and I will see what we can do about getting some of those rooms open for you. Anything else you need to show us, or can we get to this earthshattering discovery of yours?”

      “No, you need to see this,” Philip agrees. “Come on, then.”

      The two teens lead them further down the hall, and Gil slips over to Alexander's side. “Your mother-”

       “Not now. Suffice to say, influenza can turn deadly pretty quick when you're sleep-deprived and malnourished,” Alexander replies. Gil’s eyes widen, but he shakes his head and stops in front of the door. 

     Angie puts her hand on the sensor and nods towards the room. “It's gonna get really bright, really quick. Just a fair warning.”

     The door opens, and Alexander finds himself blinking back tears at how blinding it is. “Guys, what the hell have you found?”

     Philip waves them inside. “A fucking window.”

     “Holy hell,” Alexander breathes, as soon as he actually can. Shock has stolen his breath away, and it takes a moment to get it back. “I don't- this was  _ not _ something we knew about.”

     He steals a glance at Gil, but his friend is in as much awe as he is. “ _ Non _ . Even Franklin doesn't know about this. It isn't on any map that I've ever seen.”

      Everyone’s silent for a long moment, and Alexander lets himself drift over to place a hand against the glass. “How many people know about this?” 

      A hesitation, then a pair of shrugs. “Us four, Maria, and Ned. James might as well. I don't think anyone else knows,” Angie replies. “I don't think that this is a secret that's going to keep.”

      Which means that at some point someone saw them coming in here. “I doubt it,” Alexander agrees, and breaks his gaze away from the outside in order to pace. Think, think. “Give us a week. We'll help you open what doors we can, and you two get as much important stuff as you can out of here. In fact, we can go over things with you today, because there's definitely some stuff that Washington and Franklin are going to want out of here.”

       Gil is nodding along, but Alexander holds up a hand before he can interrupt. “Gil, how ready is Washington to start getting open support and people willing to fight?”

       “Hesitant, hoping for peaceful change by the book, but decently prepared. Franklin is more than ready to stir up some support, but he wants to stay quiet until we’ve got more influence in Yellow. Their production plants are going to be vital when we fight.”

       Of course. “If there's one thing the people of Purple can do, it's keep an open secret. Angie, Philip, here's what's going to happen; we clear anything important out, and then you two pick a small group of kids you trust to tell. Five people maximum, and they've got to be trustworthy enough to not spread this too far. We need people to find out from people they trust, not gossip. Be careful, and tell Ned if you need to get James involved.”

        Philip nods, and Angie follows suit. Gil bites his lip, then nods as well. “If we can get widespread support on Purple, that won't hurt the cause at all. If we can continue that support up to Blue, that's even better.”

        “If it's done right, you can inflame public opinion on Blue with the videos from the Raid. They've always been peaceful, but we're going to need their resources, not their fighters. If we can get Blue to act as distribution and medical during any combat, then we're set,” Alexander agrees. 

       Angie shifts from one foot to the other. “There's going to be a war, isn't there.” Not a question in her voice, only a dull acceptance.

       “Unless there's a miracle and everything is magically fixed? Yes,” Alexander admits. “There's going to be a war.”

       The teen tries to stand tall, to not react, but her shoulders slump just a bit. “And we're going to be on the front lines. Purple, in the most danger, as always.”

       “Nobody's going to have to fight if they don't want to, but Purple has the least to lose and most to gain,” Alexander says. “A lot of people are going to want to. James certainly will. Ned and Maria will probably be acting to keep things stable here at home. I'm going to be involved in things as well. But both of you are too young to be in the thick of things.”

       Philip tilts his chin up. “I'm not going to sit around while my brothers put themselves in danger. I'm sixteen, I can help.”

       “The most important thing you can do is to help Ned down here. Leave the physical battles to us. You're involved in a much more important one; the war of public opinion.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> HOLY SHIT ITS BEEN A MONTH I AM S O S O R R Y  
> anyway here's the beginning of our main plot please dont hate me/it
> 
>  
> 
> Kudos and comments are my lifeblood!
> 
> main tumblr: @discount-satan  
> writing tumblr: @littlelionroar


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